Press mechanism



Aug. 11 I936. P. s. SMITH PRESS MECHANISM Original Filed May a, 1932 UINVEN OB 45 ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 11, 1936 PRESS MECHANISM Paul S.Smith, Cambridge, N. Y., assignor to Ralph S. Allen, Detroit, Mich.

8 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in press mechanism and has to domore particularly with a press mechanism which is adapted to applypressure to a web of continuously advancing fabric. This application isa division of my pending application, Serial No. 608,999, filed May 3,1932, for Method and apparatus for the manufacture of cemented pilefabrics.

In the manufacture of cemented pile fabric, as

1 disclosed in said pending application, for example, there is formed acontinuously advancing web or plaited structure comprising a fibrous webplaited about a series of severable separator strips and having backingsheets cemented thereto by rubber latex or like cementing material. Thisplaited structure must be subjected to a vulcanizing and consolidatingpressure before being split longitudinally to form two webs of cementedpile fabric. The principal object of my invention is to provide a pressmechanism suitable for applying such a vulcanizing and consolidatingpressure to the continuously advancing web.

A further object of my invention is to provide a comparatively simpleand relatively inexpensive press mechanism, which is adapted to applypressure to a vertically arranged continuously advancing web or thelike.

Further objects, and objects relating to details of construction andeconomies of manufacture, will definitely appear from the detaileddescription to follow. In one instance, I accomplish the objects of myinvention by the devices and means set forth in the followingspecification. My invention is clearly defined and pointedout in theaccompanying claims. A structure constituting a preferred embodiment ofmy invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a partof this specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, of a press 40 mechanism embodyingmy invention.

In general, the press mechanism of my invention comprises a pair ofpressure devices which alternately engage the web of continuouslyadvancingmaterial and are movable in unison with 4 the advancingmaterial while in engagement therewith, together with means forretracting the pressure. devices while disengaged from the material. Ipropose to provide a main frame on which a subframe is longitudinallymovable,

50 means being provided whereby this subframe is quickly raised andslowly lowered in unison with the advancing material. This subframecarries a relatively fixed platen for engagement with one face of theadvancing material and a movable platen which may be advanced bypressure decni vices into engagement with the other face of theadvancing material and retracted therefrom, the pressure devices beingso timed in their action as to clamp the web of advancing materialbetween the fixed and movable platens during the slow descent of thesubframe and to release the material during the quick rise thereof. Ipropose also to provide a pair of such pressure units, one of which willclamp and apply pressure to the web, while the other is released andreturning to its upper position.

Referring to the numbered parts of the drawing, the press mechanism isshown in Fig. 1 in side elevation. It comprises a rectangular base plateI0 having a slot therein through which the web of material A passes andlugs at the four corners thereof in which are mounted four posts, two ofwhich, i I and I2, are shown in Fig. 1. The four posts are held inparallelism by the end casting I 3 and serve as supports for the fixedframes l4 and I5 and also as guides for the movable frames is, H, l8 andH9. The movable frames l6 and I! are tied together by aplaten 20 carriedthereby, of substantially the width of the material to be treated, andby a plate 2! which serves as a support for the hydraulic rams 22 and23, whose piston rods 2d and 25 are attached to a movable platen 25cooperating with the platen 20. Similarly, the movable frames l9 and 20are tied together by a platen 21 and a plate 28, which serves as asupport for a hydraulic ram 29 whose piston rod 30 is attached to amovable platen 3!. A hydraulic cylinder 32 mounted on a lug 33 on thefixed frame member M is connected by a piston rod 34 with a lug 35 onthe movable frame l1. Similarly, a hydraulic cylinder 3K5 mounted on alug 31 on the fixed frame i5 is connected by its piston rod 38 with thelug 39 on the movable frame l9. Sufiicient pressure is applied to themovable frames l1 and it by the hydraulic cylinders 32 and 36 to nearlycounterbalance the weight of such frames and the parts carried thereby,so that little work is required to shift such frames along the guideposts I l and i2 by the cam means to be described.

It will appear from the foregoing that the movable frames i6 and I1,connected by the platen 20 and plate 2!, carrying the hydraulic rams 22and 23 for the movable platen 26 constitute a press unit which isvertically movable on the posts H and i2. Also, the movable frames l8and I9, connected by the platen 217 and the plate 28 carrying'thehydraulic ram 29 for movable platen 3| constitute another press unit,also Vertically movable on the posts I l and I2. The

fixed frame member I4 is provided with lugs 40 and 4| which supportshafts 42 and 43, on which are mounted the cams 44 and 45 contactingwith rollers 46 and 41 which are journaled in lugs 48 and 49 on themovable frame member l6. Of course, similar cams will be provided on theopposite ends of the shafts 42 and 43 contacting with similar rollers 46and 47, journaled in similar lugs on the opposite corners of the movableframe member l6. As the shafts 42 and 43 re volve, therefore, the framel6 and the press unit carried thereby are slowly permitted to"descendand then quickly raised to the position shown in Fig. 1. Similarly, thefixed frame [5 is provided with lugs 50 and 5| which support shafts 52and 53, on which are mounted the cams 54 and 55 contacting with rollers56 and 57, journaled in lugs 58 and 59 carried by the movable frame I8.Similar cams are provided on the opposite ends of shafts 52 and 53contacting with similar rollers journaled in lugs on the oppositecorners of the frame l8. As the shafts 52 and 53 revolve, the frame I8will be quickly raised to the upper position by cams 54 and 55 and thenpermitted to descend slowly.

It will be observed that the cams are so mounted that the lower pressunit is descending slowly while the upper press unit is being quicklyraised to the upper position. The cam shafts 42, 43, 52 and 53 may bepositively connected, by any suitable means, with a shaft of themechanism controlling the production of the web of continuouslyadvancing material A, so that the downward movements of the press units,when engaged in pressure contact with the material, may correspondexactly with the rate of feed of such material. The cam pairs 44, 45, 54and 55 are so related to each other and the valves controlling thesupply of water to the hydraulic rams 22, 23 and 29 are so operatedmechanically in the well-known manner, by the vertical movement of theassociated press units that when either of the press units isdescending, its platens are in pressure contact with the materialbetween them, while the platens of the ascending unit are out of contactwith the material between them. The result of this correlation betweenthe mechanisms for operating the press units is that the material isbeing pressed and. vulcanized'constantly and the active press unit iscontrollably moved downward at a. rate corresponding exactly with therate at which the material is being formed. The hydraulic cylinders 32and 36 are constantly supplied with water under pressure and, aspreviously stated, are so proportioned as to relieve the cams 44 and 45,54 and 55 of practically the entire work of raising the correspondingpress unit.

When the web A of material emerges from the lower end of the press, itmay pass between guide rollers 60 and 6! and is split by aband knife 62which moves between stationary guides 63 and 64. This knife'not onlysplits the fibers, which are secured to and extend from one backingsheet to another, but also splits the severa ble separator strips thussplitting the web A as it comes from the press into two webs of cementedpile fabric, which are wound into rolls 65 and 66 upon shells 61 and 68on shafts 69 and 1!] which may be driven frictionally in a well-knownmanner.

As stated above, the cams which control the rise and fall of the pressunits are so actuated and formed as to permit the press units to descendat the rate at which the web of material is continuously advanced. Thisweb passes between the fixed and movable platens of the press units,which alternately grip the material to apply a consolidating andvulcanizing pressure thereto, and release the same. The upper unit isshown in Fig. 1, as released and about to rise, while the lower unit isapplying pressure to the web of material and is about to descend slowlyat a rate corresponding to the rate of movement of the material throughthe machine. When the lower press unit is released, the upper press unitwill be in position to apply pressure and move downwardly at said rate.

I am aware that the particular embodiment of my invention, hereillustrated, is susceptible of considerable variation without departingfrom the spirit thereof, and, therefore, I claim my invention broadly,as indicated by the appended claims. a

What I claim is:

1. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of compositematerial, the combination of a pair of pressure devices reciprocableparallel to the path of said web, and means actuating each of saidpressure devices to apply a working pressure to the web and to maintainsaid pressure throughout substantially the period of movement of thedevice in the direction of advance of the web and to release saidpressure when the device moves in the opposite direction, said pressuredevices applying pressure to the web alternately.

2. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of compositematerial, the combination of a pressure device acting on said web, meansfor reciprocating said device parallel to the path of the web, and meansactuating said device to apply a working pressure to said web and tomaintain said pressure throughout substantially the period of movementof the device in the direction of advance of the web and to release saidpressure when the device moves in the opposite direction, whereby thedevice moves with the web during an extended period of application ofpressure.

3. In press mechanism for acting on a web of advancing material, thecombination of a pair of pressure devices acting on said web, means forreciprocating said devices parallel to the path 01' said web and sotimed that the movement of one device in the direction opposite to theadvance of the web occurs while the other device is advancing with theweb, and means actuating each of said devices to apply a workingpressure by each device to the web and to maintain said pressurethroughout substantially the period of movement of the device in thedirection of advance of the web and to release the pressure when thedevice moves in the opposite direction.

4. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, thecombination of a pressure device acting on said web, means for impartingto said device a slow advance movement parallel to the path of the weband a quick return movement in the opposite direction, and meansactuating said pressure device to pressureapplying position for the slowadvance movement and to pressure-release position for the quick return.

5. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, thecombination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, aplaten carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of saidweb, a. second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on theopposite side of said web, means for reciproeating said auxiliary frameto move said platens along the path of the web, and pressure meansacting on one of said platens and efiective to apply a working pressurethereto and to maintain said pressure throughout substantially theperiod of movement of the platens in the direction of advance of the weband to release said pressure for the return movement.

6. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, thecombination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, aplaten carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of theweb, a second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on theopposite side of the web, cam means acting on said auxiliary frame tomove said platen along the path of the web with a slow movement in theadvance direction and a quick return, and pressure means acting on oneof said platens and effective to apply pressure thereto throughout saidslow advance movement and to release said pressure for said returnmovement.

7. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, thecombination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, aplaten carried by said auxiliary frame and located on one side of theweb, a second platen carried by said auxiliary frame and located on theopposite side of the web, cam means acting on said auxiliary frame tomove said platens along the path of the web with a slow movement in theadvance direction and a quick return, and fluid pressure means carriedby said auxiliary frame and acting on one of said platens, said meansbeing so timed as to apply pressure throughout the slow advance movementand to release the pressure for said return movement.

8. In press mechanism for acting on an advancing web of material, thecombination of a frame, an auxiliary frame slidably mounted therein, aplaten rigidly mounted in said auxiliary frame and located on one sideof said web, a second platen movably mounted in said auxiliary frame andlocated on the opposite side of said web, cam means acting on saidauxiliary frame to move said platens along the path of the web with aslow advance movement and a quick return, and fluid pressure meanscarried by the auxiliary frame and acting on the second platen, saidmeans being so timed as to apply pressure thereto throughout the slowadvance movement and to release the pressure for the quick return.

PAUL S. SMITH.

